When: Friday, February 6, 2026 & Monday, February 9, 2026
Where: Waldron Family Stadium in Emmitsburg, Md. & Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pa.
Time: Friday – 1 p.m. & Monday – 2 p.m. 

TOWSON, Md. - The Towson University women's lacrosse team begins its 2026 campaign in Emmitsburg, Maryland to face off against Mount St. Mary's for the sixth consecutive year. Due to expected inclement weather on Sunday, Towson's game vs. Villanova (originally scheduled for Sunday, February 8) has been rescheduled to Monday, February 9 at 2 p.m. Both games will be available to watch on ESPN+. The Tigers will be entering with Kristen Carr as the head coach for the Black & Gold for the third season. Towson is coming off a 7-9 regular season and a 3-5 season in conference play.

Preseason Accolades
The Tigers were voted to finish in third place in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning 33 points. The Black & Gold were picked behind CAA defending champion Stony Brook and Drexel. Senior midfielder Valerie Thompson and junior Katie Roszko were named to the All-CAA team, while senior Ocea Leavy and sophomore Jenna Cardeno earned honorable mention recognition.

Welcome (Back) to Towson!
Kristen Carr was named the Women's Lacrosse Head Coach in July 2023. The two-time gold medalist has made assistant coaching stops at North Carolina, Delaware, Stanford, Ohio State and Johns Hopkins. Carr was an IWLCA All-American defensive midfielder at North Carolina, where she made four NCAA Tournament appearances. Alongside Rebecca Lane, Lyndsey Muñoz and Kristin O'Neill, Carr will be welcoming back Milana Zizakovic as the team's Director of Player Development.

Fresh Faces
Kristen Carr welcomes a class of eleven newcomers this season with seven freshmen and four transfers. Carr brought in senior attack Acacia Connor (Syracuse), sophomore midfielder Jacinda Connor (USF), graduate attack Elise Smigiel (Penn State) and graduate goalie Sienna Parekh (University of Nottingham). Carr's freshmen class consists of Courtney Xippolitos (defender), Tabi Reardon (midfielder), Karsen Hippert (mid/def), Annie Minoglio (attack), Emma Dulin (goalie), Lisa Magill (midfielder) and Kylie Trainor (midfielder).

Back at Unitas
The Tigers return to Johnny Unitas® Stadium this season on Saturday, March 28 to host CAA foe Hofstra.

Staying Home
The 2026 squad has 14 student-athletes that call Maryland home. Savannah Safchuck (Towson), Casey Meredith (Hampstead), Valerie Thompson (Sykesville), Annie Minoglio (Bel Air), Acacia Connor (Towson), Katie Roszko (Bel Air), Elise Smith (Ellicott City), Kylie Ritter (Ellicott City), Sydney Casserly (Baltimore), Bella Wojcik (Perry Hall), Harli Hamlett (Sykesville), Emma Dulin (Centreville), Cameron Levine (Baltimore) and Jacinda Connor (Towson) will all represent their home state.

Scouting Mount St. Mary's
The Mountaineers went 11-6 in 2025 with a 7-1 mark in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play. Earning the No. 1 seed, the school hosted the MAAC Tournament in Emmitsburg where the Mount suffered an upset by Iona in the semifinals. Seven members of the team received All-MAAC accolades. Anna Salerno, Mackenzi Furlong, and Hailey Chester were First Team selections. Camille Thomas and Molly Molchanoff were Second Team honorees, and Brooke Molchanoff was an All-MAAC Rookie member. Head Coach Lauren Skellchock was named MAAC Coach of the Year. Chester and Brooke Molchanoff earned Preseason All-MAAC selections ahead of this season. The team projected to finish in second place.

Scouting Villanova
The Wildcats ended last season with an 11-7 overall record and a 4-2 mark in Big East Conference play. In the 2025 Big East Championship, Villanova picked up a win over #3 University of Connecticut in the semifinals before falling to #1 seed Denver at home in the team's first ever title appearance. In the All-BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Wildcats are picked to finish second in the conference. Four Wildcats were named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, led by unanimous selections: Rose Christie, Elena Torres and Emma Verhoest. Leslie Iorio rounded out the group.

Up Next
Towson is slated to host Georgetown on Saturday, February 14 at 3:30 p.m. The game will take place at Tiger Field and be streamed on FloCollege.